Process for the production of organic products from diverse biomass sources

Abstract

Disclosed are processes and systems for the production of useful organic product from diverse lignocellulose-containing biomass having increased yield and efficiency over existing processes. In particular, the present invention integrates dilute acid hydrolysis and alkaline delignification techniques in processes that enhance the efficiency and yiel of lignocellulostic biomass processing and enable the economic production lignin-based biodegradable plastics and other useful organic products.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method of processing a lignocellulose-containing biomass material, comprising: 
       treating the biomass material by one or more stages of dilute acid hydrolysis with about 0.4% to 2% strong acid; and  
       treating an unreacted solid lignocellulostic component of the acid hydrolyzed biomass material by alkaline delignification to produce precursors for biodegradable thermoplastics and derivatives.  
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising fermentation treatment of at least one member selected from the group consisting of free sugars, polysaccharidcs and oligosaccharides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis treatment. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising enzymatic hydrolysis of at least one of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis treatment. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising fractional distillation of volatile organic compounds produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis treatment. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said dilute acid hydrolysis treatment comprises a first stage of combining a lignocellulostic biomass with about 0.4% strong acid, at about 185° C. for about 5 minutes in a saturated steam environment within a pressure reactor. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising terminating said hydrolysis stage by a rapid pressure release. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 5 , wherein said dilute acid hydrolysis treatment further comprises a second stage of combining lignin/cellulose solids produced by said first stage with about 2% strong acid at about 210° C. for about 7 minutes in a saturated steam environment within a pressure reactor. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising terminating said hydrolysis stage by a rapid pressure release. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said alkaline delignification treatment comprises combining solids produced by said acid hydrolysis treatment with about 4% strong base at about 210° C. for about 4 minutes. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein said process is catalyzed by at least one member selected from the group consisting of anthraquinone and tetrahydroanthraquinone. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said alkaline delignification treatment product material comprises water soluble lignin. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 2 , wherein said fermentation treatment comprises a bacterial fermentation and a yeast fermentation. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 3 , wherein said enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is conducted independently in a continuous flow enzymatic hydrolysis reactor. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12 , wherein said yeast fermentation is combined with enzymatic hydrolysis (SSF). 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 12 , wherein said bacterial fermentation is conducted aerobically by genetically engineered  Zymomonas mobilis  bacteria in a flow-through reactor. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12 , wherein said yeast fermentation is conducted with  Saccharomyces cerevisiae.    
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13 , wherein said enzymatic hydrolysis is conducted using a cellulase enzyme. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 14 , wherein said combined yeast fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis is conducted using  Saccharomyces cerevisiae  and a cellulase enzyme. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising solvent extraction. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising intertwined product separation and extraction processes to recover useful organics from the process. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said dilute acid hydrolysis is conducted using nitric acid with internal recyling, and further comprising conversion of said nitric acid to nitrate fertilizer by addition of base following its repeated use in the biomass processing. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said biomass is derived from mixed municipal solid waste. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said biomass comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of wood, paper, straw, leaves, prunings, vegetable pulp, corn, corn stover, sugarcane, sugar beets, sorghum, cassava, potato waste, bagasse, sawdust and forest mill waste. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the biomass material contains greater than 10% by weight of at least one of free sugars and starches that may be readily steam extracted or enzymatically converted to sugars for extraction in advance of processing of a lignocellulosic material fraction. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising recycling of process facilitators including water, acid, base and bacteria, yeast and enzymes. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the soluble lignin is subsequently integrated in a biodegradable lignin-based thermoplastic. 
     
     
       27. A method of processing a lignocellulose-containing biomass material, comprising: 
       treating the biomass material by a first stage or dilute acid hydrolysis with about 0.4% strong acid;  
       treating lignin/cellulose solids produced by said first stage of dilute acid hydrolysis by a second stage of dilute acid hydrolysis with about 2% strong acid;  
       treating an unreacted lignocellulostic component of the acid hydrolyzed biomass material produced by the second acid hydrolysis stage by alkaline delignification;  
       treating at least one member selected from the group consisting of free five- and six-carbon sugars and oligosaccharides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis stages by bacterial fermentation;  
       treating at least one of six-carbon sugars and oligosaccarides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis stages and unreacted in said bacterial fermentation treatment by combined yeast fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis (SSF); and  
       conducting separation and recovery of useful organic products intertwined with the treatment stages of said processing.  
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 27 , further comprising internal recycling of water and acid catalysts during said processing. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 27 , further comprising treating washed and pressed product of the first and second acid hydrolysis stages by nanofiltration to concentrate and separate free sugars and oligonucleotide fragments for subsequent fermentation, and enable the vacuum evaporative concentration of residual acid catalyst and accumulated volatile organic compounds through iterations of the process. 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 29 , further comprising periodic harvesting of neutralized acid salts and accumulated volatile organic compounds. 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 29 , wherein said neutralized acid salts constitute fertilizer. 
     
     
       32. A method of processing a lignocellulose-containing biomass material, comprising: 
       treating the biomass material by one or more stages of dilute acid hydrolysis with about 0.4% to 2% strong acid;  
       treating an unreacted lignocellulostic component of the acid hydrolyzed biomass material produced by the acid hydrolysis stage by alkaline delignification;  
       treating at least one of the unreacted polysaccharides and oligosaccharides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis stage by enzymatic hydrolysis;  
       treating at least one member selected from the group consisting of free five- and six-carbon sugars, polysaccharides and oligosaccharides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis stages by bacterial fermentation;  
       treating at least one of six-carbon sugars and oligosaccarides produced by said dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis stages by combined yeast fermentation combined yeast and enzymatic hydrolysis (SSF); and  
       conducting separation and recovery of useful organic products intertwined with the treatment stages of said processing.  
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising washing and pressing the hydrosylate of the acid hydrolyzed biomass material to recover at least one of the group consisting of liberated sugars, oligosaccharide fragments, polysaccharide fragments and volatile organic compounds. 
     
     
       34. The method of  claim 33 , further comprising nano-filtering the washed and pressed hydrosylate to concentrate at least one of the group consisting of liberated sugars, oligosaccharide fragments and polysaccharide fragments. 
     
     
       35. The method of  claim 34 , further comprising bacteria fermentation of the concentrate.